Loading system



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F. BILLINGS ET AL LOADING SYSTEM Filed March 1 1923Aug. 18, 1925.

Aug. 18, 1925.

I F. BILLINGS ET AL LOADING SYSTEM Fil'ed March'l, '1923 3 Sheets-Sheet-2 gage? l IIIIIL l lllllll F. BILLINGS ET AL LOADING SYSTEM Filed March1, 192a- Shets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

UNITED STATES I FiBANK BILLINGS, OF CLEVELAND, AND ROBERT P. GREENLEAF,OF SHAKER HEIGHTS,

PATENT OFFICE.

OHIO; SAID GREENLEAF ASSIGNOR TO SAID BILLINGS.

LOADING SYSTEM.

Application filed March 1, 1923. Serial-No. 621,999..

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that we, FRANK BILLINGS an ROBERT P. GREENLEAF, citizens ofthe United States, and residents, respectively, of Cleveland, in thecounty of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, and Shaker Heights, in the countyof Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Loading Systems, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

This invention relates to a system of loading cars involving the use ofa loading ma- Zhine, and has particular reference to loading mine carswith ore, coal and the like which is shoveled or otherwise picked up bythe loading machine.

The principal object of the present invention is to increase theefiiciency of a loading machine by doing away with the necessity offrequent shifting to and from the machine of the cars which are designedto carry away the material.

More particularly the invention aims to do away with the necessity ofremoving the loaded material after a single car has been filled, and onthe other hand to provide means whereby a series or a train of care maybe brought up to the machine and all of them loaded, before itisnecessary to move them away from the loading machine to the point wherethe material is to be discharged or dumped therefrom.

It is also an object of the invention to accomplish this with apparatuswhich can be conveniently transported through the mine passageways andaround the curves which are frequently of short radius.

Heretofore it has been proposed to load a series of cars with a loadingmachine by the use of an extensible or collapsible conveyor, but ascheme or system of that kind is not entirely feasible. not only becauseof the difliculty of transporting it around the 'curves, but it cannotbe very successfully 1 operated if the cars are left in loading position on a curve; In other words, it requires a straight section of trackfor the extension or collapsing of the conveyor by which the material iscarried from the loading machine to the different cars in the series.

In accordance with the present invention we employ in connection with aloading machine of any suitable type, a skip which is designed to befilled with material by the loading machine, and is adapted to be runback and to be dumped into any one of the cars of the series.Furthermore, in accordance with this invention, provision is made forsupporting and running the skip on the cars themselves, regardless ofwhether the cars are in a straight line on a section of straight track,or standing on a curve, thus dolng away with the necessity of a specialtrackway or other support for-the skip.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certainnovel details of construction, and combinations and arrangements ofparts which will be described in the specification and set forth in theappended claims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings wherein we have shown oneembodiment of our invention, Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the rearend of a loading machine, the ski and a section ofa train of mine carsdes gned to be filled by the loading machine andv skip; Fig. 2 is a sideview with parts in section showing a number of mine cars andillustrating how the skip runs over rails at the top of the cars andhowmaterial may be dumped from the skip into the cars; Fig. 3 is a topplan view of a series of cars and of a power unit which actua-testheskip, showing how the transporting system which we use for conveyingthe material from the loading machine to the different cars may beutilized with the cars positioned on a curve; Fig. 4 is a verticalsectional view of the skip; Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional Viewsubstantially along the line 55 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an end-view of oneof the cars showing the skip supported thereon and in vertical section;Fig. 7 is a side view on an enlargel scale of a skip rail at the topofthe car; Fig. 8 is a sectional view substantially along the line 8-8 ofFig. 7; Fig. 9 is a sectional view substantially along the line 99 ofFig. 7 ;'and Fig. 10 is a top plan view of portions of the adjoiningends of two cars showing the rails whichare arranged at the top thereofand showing the pivoted connecting means between them.

While our invention does not involve any particular construction ofloading machine per se it does comtemplate a loading machine as a partthereof, but such loading machine may be of any suitable type, it beingnecessary only that it have suitable means for delivering to the rear ofthe machine the coal, ore, or other material that is to be loaded intothe cars. In Fig. 1 we have illustrated at 10 a portion of a loadingmachine which will have suitable device or devices for shoveling orotherwise picking up material and for discharging it at the rear of themachine. In the present instance the machine has a swinging shovel 10which is designed to be given a filling stroke at the front of themachine, and then to be swung upwardly and rearwardly over the machineto--discharge the material at the rear. A machine of this type isillustrated in numerous patents granted in our names, or in the name ofRobert P. Greenleaf, one of the co-inventors herein, and among thesepatents may be mentioned the following: No. 1,286,168 dated November 26,1918; No. 1,297,150 dated March 11, 1919; No. 1,322,476 dated November18, 1919; No. 1,322,477 dated November 18, 1919; No. 1,322,478 datedNovember 18, 1919.

Obviously instead of. using a machine of the shovel type, other typesmay be emv ployed, such as those involving a hoe and a rearwardlyextending conveyor onto the front end of which the material is scrapedby the hoe. Machines of this type are illustrated in a number of patentsgranted jointly in our names, or in the name of one or the other of us,and among these are the following: No. 1,095,786 dated May 5, 1914; No.1,162,768 dated December 7, 1915; No. 1,265,729 dated May 14, 1918.

As before stated, our improved system contemplates filling a number ofcars before taking them away to be dumped, instead of handling one carat a time, i. e.

bringing it to the loading machine to be filled and removing it whenfilled. A series of cars such as may be utilized and'moved to and fromthe loading machine are shown at 11, Fig. 5 showing a series of five ofthe ears coupled together, although the number may be greater or lessthan that shown in this figure. In any event a sufficient number of carswill be handled at one time to enable our loading system to be operatedmost efliciently. Additionally our system contemplates a device forconveying the material from the rear end of the loading machine to theseveral cars 11, and in this instance this is in the form of a skip 12which is o erated by a so-called power unit 13 which is adapted to bepositioned next to the loading machine, or between the latter and thefirst car 11 adjacent thereto.

In order that the skip may berun back and forth between the power unitor the rear end of the loading machine and the several cars, and inorder that a skipway or track separate from the cars may be dispensedwith, we contemplate running the skip over the cars themselves, and thisconstitutes a very important feature of our invention.

In order that the skip may be run over the cars, the sides of the carsare equipped with rails to accommodate the wheels of the skip, and inthe form of our invention illustrated, this is done in such a way thatthe train of cars may be run around the curves of mine passageways andmay be loaded on a curve as illustrated in Fig. 3. In the form of ourinvention illustrated, the trackway for the skip is formed by providingalong each side of each mine car at the top thereof a fixed straightrail 14, and by connecting together the corresponding rails 14 ofadjacent cars by pivoted or articulated rail sections 15. Each car isprovided with a pair of these pivot-ed sections 15, which are connectedto similar rails of an adjoining car while the rails 14 of the car nextto the power unit are similarly connected to rails 16 of the power unit,which rail-s also accommodate the skip.

Each pivoted rail 15 is at one end pivoted by means of a pivot stud 17(see Figs. 7, 9 and 10 to a bracket 18 at the end of the car, and at itsother end thispivoted rail has a telescopic or sliding connection withthe rail of the car ahead or behind as the case may be; To bring aboutthis sliding or telescopic connection between the articulate-d orpivoted rail extending from one car with the fixed straight rail of theadjoining car, each ear is provided along each side and beneath thestraight rail 14 with an upwardly facing channel 19. On the outer flangeof this channel there slides a shoe 20 having an upstanding stud 21 withwhich the end of the rail section 15 engages; that is to say, this shoehas a swivel connection with the end of the rail section 15, and whenthe train of cars is passing around a. curve, the shoe 20 will slidealong the flange of the channel 19, the shoe at one side of the carmoving forwardly and that at the other side rearwardly, depending uponwhich side of the car is on the inner side of the curve. This is clearlyillustrated in Fig. 15.

Thus it will be seen that we have provided at the top and along oppositesides of the several cars of the train or series. a flexible orextensible and collapsible track. the sliding or telescopic arrangementbe tween the fixed and pivoted rail sections allowing the cars to travelaround curves or to be positioned on a curve for loading withoutinterrupting the continuity of the skip track.

The skip 12 may be constructed in various ways, and while the preferredconstruction is illustrated, it may be otherwise constructed. In thisinstance, the skip comprises a wheeled truck portion 21 consisting of atruck frame with wheels 22 and a movin'Fig. 6.

As before stated, the truck portion of the skip is provided with trackwheels 22, and these wheels travel along the track formed by the rails16 of the power unit 13, and by the rails or rail sections 14 and 15 atthe top of the cars 11. Obviously the gauge of the track along the minecars is not fixed. but varies somewhat as the cars swing relativelywhile traveling around a curve. Therefore, in order that the skip mayaccommodate itself to this slightly varying gauge and to the'telescopictrackway formed at the top of the cars 11, each of the wheels of theskip is provided with flanges 22 at both its inner and outer sides, andwith a relatively wide face between the flanges. This construction'whichis illustrated in Fig. 6 enables the skip to remain on the track and toaccommodate itself thereto notwithstanding the fact that the track maybe straight or curved and of a slightly varyinggauge for the reasonsstated above.

This skip is designed to be pulled rearwardly away from the loadingmachine 10 and forwardly toward the same. To do this we propose to usethe well-known head and tail rope system of skip operation, and to makeclear how this may be done, we will refer to the power unit 13.

This power unit includes a truck frame having wheels which like thewheels of the loading machine 10 andthe cars 11 are designed to travelalong the tracks. This power unit may be coupled to the loading machineand to the mine car adjacentto it 'if desired, and these parts will becoupled together if the several units are being conveyed at the sametime through the mine passageways. When all the cars 11 of the serieshave been filled, the foremost car is, of course, uncoupled from thepower unit and the skip rails at the top of the foremost car aredisconnected from the rails 16 for the power unit which remains with theloading machine While the loaded cars are being conveyed away to thedumping point, or are being brought back to be again loaded.

As already stated, t-hepower unit is provided with track rails 16 whichaccommodate the skip. These rails are preferably inclined,extending asshown downwardly and forwardly from the level of the skiptrack rails atthe'top of the cars 11. Any suitable means may be provided for holdingin the following manner:

the skip in loading position on these inclined rails, such as by curvingupwardly the lower ends of the rails 16 to form positive stops;

The purpose of arranging the rails in 1nclined position as shown, is toenable the skip to be placed in low enough position that it may receivethe load from the shovel 10 of the loading machine or equivalentconveying member which is designed to transfer the material from theloading machine.

On the skip beneath the track rails 16 is arranged a suitable powermechanism by which the skip is caused to travel back and forth along thetrack rails on the cars 11. This mechanism includes a suitable motor orengine 26 (see left hand end of Fig. 3) which may be an electric motoror a motor or engine operated by any suitable energy, such as air. Thismotor or engine 26 is connected by gearing designated as a whole by thereference character 27 to a shaft 28 provided with two rope drums 29 and30, one of which is adapted to receive the head rope 31 and the otherthe tail rope 32 which are connected to and operate the skip. Theseropes go about the drums 29 and 30 in opposite directions so that whenone is wound on its drum the other is unwound from the other drum.

Not only does the power unit through the action of the head and tailropes cause the skip to be run back to be dumped into a car and thenreturned again to the track of the power unit to be again filled by theloading machine, but we contemplate an automatic dumping of the skip,and this with the embodiment shown is accomplished The upper or bodyportion of the skip is normally secured or fastened to the truck portionby a pawl 33 (see particularly Fig. 4) having .a nose or hook whichnormally engages over the rear endof the bottom or bed 34 of the truckportion of the skip. At the front end of the skip and attached to theforward end of the body portion thereof is to the end of the rearmostcar 11, around a sheave 37 and then back to the power unit where itpasses around the drum 30. Thus when the loaded skip is being pulledrearwardly the pull exerted by the head rope is applied to the body partof the skip and through the pawl 33 to the truck portion.

For the purpose of dumping the skip in any particular car when the skipis being pulled rearwardly, it is only necessary to release the upper orbody 'part of the skip from the truck part thereof, and to retard orstop the truck part so that the upper or tive to the truck part and thusscrape the material into a designated car.

To accomplish this we provide in the present instance on the lower partof the skip a spring restrained plunger 38 with a cam nose 38 at itsrear end and arranged so that when the plunger is moved forwardly ortoward the pawl 33 it lifts and releases the hook from the bed of theskip.

To bring about the automatic actuation of the plunger 38 we contemplateusing a detachable stop member 39 (see particularly Fig. 2) which can beplaced by the workman at the forward end of any one of the cars 11 inposition to be engaged by a depending arm 38 of the hook releasingplunger 38. That is to say, a workman will place the stop member 39 atthe forward end of the particular car into which the skip is to bedumped, and when that particular car has been filled he will place it atthe front end of the next car to be filled, it being understood that theskip will be pulled backward by the head rope until the depending partof the plunger 38 engages the stop member of the car to be filled, andwhen this occurs the upper part of the skip is released from the truckpart and while the latter is held stationary the upper part is movedrearwardly scraping the contents of the skip into the car selected forfilling.

lVe contemplate also the automatic restoration of the upper or bodyportion of the skip to its normal position on the truck part thereof,and the automatic restoration of the pawl 33 to locking position, andthis is accomplished through the action of the tail rope 32. The tailrope extends from the drum 29 around a sheave 10 at the lower front endof the power unit, and from this sheave it extends around. a horizontalsheave 41 at the lower part of the bracket 35. which as before stated,is secured to the end of the body portion of the skip. After passingaround this horizontal sheave 41 it extends and is secured to the axle42 of the truck part of the skip. Thus when the slap has been emptiedthe pull on the tail rope will first close the skip or move the bodyportion over the bed until the nose of the pawl 33 drops to lockingposition, and then move the skip as a whole onto the power unit. Thisaction of first closing the skip is bound to take place if a slightretarding pull is applied to the head rope while the tail rope is beingwound in.

To guide the head and tail ropes when the cars are positioned on a curveas shown in Fig. 3, and are being loaded while on the curve, guidesheaves 43 are designed to be placed where desired on the ends of thecars, as for example, as illustrated in Fig. 3. These sheaves can bequickly removed or applied, and are designed to be placed over the endsof the car and clamped thereto by clamping means such as illustrated at44 in Figs. 2 and 6. Additionally the tail and head ropes are designedto pass over guide sheaves 45 arranged at the upper end of the powerunit as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

In the operation of this system the skip will be positioned on theinclined track of the power unit until it is filled, and then the skipwill be run rearwardly and will be automatically dumped when i. comesover a predetermined or selected car to be filled, the operator placingthe stop member 39 wherever necessary, and transferring it from one carto another when a car containing the clamp is filled and another car isto be filled. By operating the power unit properly the operator will runthe skip rearwardly to the desired point. where it is automaticallydumped and then will run it forward again to the power unit to receiveanother load from the loading machine, [the skip each time travelingover the rails carried by the cars themselves as previously explained.

Inasmuch as the skip can be run back from the power unit and dumped andbrought back to the power unit very quickly, the operation of theloading machine itself is not delayed to any material extent by theopera-Lion of the skip in filling the cars, In this manner the entireseries of cars can be filled and a great deal of material can be loadedbefore it is necessary to delay the operation of the loading machine.When all the cars are filled and the skip has been run back onto thepower unit, one of the operators will disengage the head rope from thesheaves of the cars and lay it on the ground and also disengage -therails of the foremost car from the rails of the power unit, and, ofcourse, he will uncouple the foremost car from the power unit if thishad not been done previously. Then the whole train of filled cars 11 istaken away from the loading machine and dumped, after which they areagain brought back to the loading machine, whereupon the loading and carshifting operations are repeated.

When the series of cars are filled in the manner explained above, by ourimproved loading system, and are removed from the loading machine to bedumped and then brought back to the machine again to be filled, the useof the loading machine is in- Terrupted the least possible amount, andtherefore its efliciency is greatly increased as compared with a systemwherein the cars were handled individually. Therefore, by filling,switching and handling the ears in a group instead of individually, andby providing means whereby the cars can be filled while located oncurves of short radius usually found in a mine, without affecting theoperation of the skip, we have, we believe, succeeded in solving aproblem which i' has heretofore retarded the use/of loadingappended'tclaimsl Furthermore, our inven" tion is not confined in itsutility to mine work.

Having described our claim:

i 1. In a loading system, a seriesi of cars adapted to be filled withmaterial, and proinvention, We

, vided at the topwith means for supporting a loading device sothat thelatter may travel over the cars to bring material thereto, a member atthe head of said series of cars and provided with an inclined portionalong which said loading device is adapted to be moved to and from thecar adjacent thereto, and a loading device together with means formoving the same back and forth over said member and said cars.

2. In a loading system, a. series of cars adapted to be filled withmaterial and provided at the top with rails for a loading device, a unitin advance of the cars having inclined rails leading up to the rails ofthe adjoining car, and a loading device; adapted to travel up along theinclined rails of said unit and over the rails of the cars.

3. In a loading system, a series of cars havmg ralls at the top thereof,a loading 'device adapted to travel along the same different cars, therails constituting a trackway for the loading device capable of lateralflexing to an extent suflicient to allow the loading device to travelthereovervwhen the cars are positioned on the sharpest curve aroundwhich they are capable of traveling.

5. In a loading system, a series of cars having bodies adapted toreceive material from the top thereof, and provided at the top and alongthe sides with rails, and a loading device adapted to travel over therails, said rails being composed of relatively movable sections forminga trackway capable of a wide lateral flexing so as to accommodate theloading device for the sharpest curves about which the cars are designedto travel. a

6. In a loading system, a series of cars having bodies adapted to befilled with material discharged into the top thereof, and provided alongthe sides with fixed rail sections, connecting rail sections between thecars, each pivoted\ to one rail section device of the dumping typeadapted to travel over the cars andto discharge material therein, meansfor moving said loading device back and forth over the cars, and meansfor selectively causing the automatic dumping of the device into thecars, comprising a trip member adapted to function on any one of thecars.

8. In a loading system, a loading machine, a series of cars adapted tobe filled with material before being conveyed away from the machine, askip adapted to travel over the cars to convey thematerial from theloading machine to the cars, power l means for moving the skip towardand from the loading machine, and a device adapted to be positioned onanyone of the cars to cause the skip to be dumped into said car.

In testlmony our signatures.

FRANK BILLINGS. ROBERT P. GREENLEAF.

whereof, we hereunto aifiiz

